Man Utd takeover latest: Sheikh Jassim ‘matter of time’ claim as Jim Ratcliffe’s ‘negotiating tactic’ tipped to backfire

Manchester United fans are still waiting eagerly for the takeover of their club to take hold after months of waiting.

Months have now passed since the Glazers announced they would be welcoming investment into the club, albeit it was never made clear whether the Americans want a full or partial sale. With pre-season now set to kick off, there is still no clear indication of when a takeover will be agreed, with the new owner - whoever that may be - not likely to be in place for the start of the new season.

Here we take a look at all the latest news surrounding the situation.

Glazers claim

One of the Premier League’s creators Jon Smith is backing Sheikh Jassim to win the United takeover race, claiming the Glazers likely want out completely.

“I can’t see beyond Sheikh Jassim,” he told CaughtOffside. “I mean, if he really wants Man United, he can have it.

“I don’t think in reality, the Glazer family really want to be part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bid. Once you’re out, you’re out. You move on. Though I think it’s a really good negotiating tactic. Ratcliffe would quite possibly be a more creative ownership but I just think if it’s about if the deal is about the money as well as the passion for Manchester United, there’s certainly a big capital P with passion that follows that club, I think, ultimately Qatar can have it if they want to.”

The financial side

Finance insider Viva Mukherjee has been analysing a possible United takeover, telling Football Insider: “I think the investment plan of Sheikh Jassim is very similar to that of the Friedkin Group at Roma but on a larger scale.

“The group bought a 86.6 per cent majority equity of AS Roma for £510million in 2020, of which £331million of that was debt amassed by the former owner. In a similar sense, the Qatar bid includes paying off the gross debt of £725million at Old Trafford.

“The Friedkin Group needed 95 per cent equity to delist the Italian club from the stock exchange – a stake that Jassim would own at Old Trafford if he successfully won the takeover.

“I believe Jassim will want to do similar and delist United from the stock exchange should he become the new owner. His bid for the club is around $6.3billion (£4.95billion), with a large majority of that fee set to be paid to the Glazers and the club’s shareholders. It is the opposite to the Ratcliffe bid, where the debt of the club will likely remain and the club could continue to be traded on the stock exchange.”

Jassim claim

Sheikh Jassim continues to be the most likely option according to recent reports, and Bloomberg are now saying the Qatari camp is ‘incresingly confident’ of striking a deal.

The same report does claim the Glazers could yet make a last-minute decision to remain in charge, but the Qatari camp are said to believe it is a ‘matter of time’ before they get an agreement in place.

Jassim has already reportedly set deadlines and threatened no further offers, but it seems his determination to land the club has superceeded all those threats and demands up to this point.